Where the anemones grow
Submitted by editor on 9 May 2022.
In our April issue, Depauw et al. describe how the wood anemone responds to different environmental conditions. Read a simplified version of their paper entitled "Functional trait variation of Anemone nemorosa along macro- and microclimatic gradients close to the northern range edge" below!
In early Spring, many European forests are covered in a beautiful white carpet of Wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa). In more northern regions, however, the Wood anemones also often occur outside the forest. In a recent study, we investigated why this is. We found that Wood anemone mainly benefits from more light at colder temperatures. This explains why Wood anemone performs well at high light levels in the colder North, but also suggests that with future climate warming, the positive effect of high light levels on Wood anemone performance might disappear, potentially jeopardising its performance in open habitats.